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Ancient fire pits were sometimes constructed in the ground, in caves, or in the middle of a hut or dwelling. Evidence of prehistoric, man-made fires exists on all five inhabited continents. The disadvantage of premature indoor flame pits was that they generated hazardous or annoying smoke inside the dwelling.Fire pits grown into raised hearths in structures, but venting smoke relied on open windows or holes in roofs. The medieval great hall typically had a centrally located hearth, where an open flame burnt with all the smoke rising to the vent in the roof. Louvers were developed throughout the Middle Ages to allow the roof vents to be coated so rain and snow wouldn't enter.

Also throughout the Middle Ages, smoke canopies were devised to stop smoke from dispersing a room and vent it outside through a wall or roof. These could be put against stone walls, rather than taking up the center of the space, and this enabled smaller rooms to be warmed.Chimneys were invented in northern Europe in the 11th or 12th centuries and largely fixed the problem of fumes, more faithfully venting smoke out. They made it possible to give the fireplace a draft, and made it possible to place fireplaces in multiple rooms in buildings conveniently. They did not come into general usage immediately, however, as they were more expensive to develop and maintain.

In 1678 Prince Rupert, nephew of Charles I, raised the grate of the fireplace, improving the airflow and venting system. The 18th century saw two major developments in the history of fireplaces. Benjamin Franklin developed a convection chamber for the fireplace that greatly enhanced the efficacy of fireplaces and wood stoves. In addition, he enhanced the airflow by pulling air from a cellar and venting a longer place at the very top. At the later 18th century, Count Rumford designed a fireplace using a tall, shallow firebox that has been better at drawing up the smoke and out of the building. The shallow design improved greatly the quantity of radiant warmth projected into the space. Rumford's layout is the basis for modern kitchens.

Instead it relied on simple layouts with little unnecessary ornamentation. From the 1890s the Aesthetic movement gave way into the Arts and Crafts movement, where the emphasis was still placed on providing quality stone. Stone fireplaces now were a symbol of prosperity, which to some degree remains the notion today.A fireplace is a construction made from brick, stone or metal made to include a fire. Fireplaces are used for the relaxing ambiance they create and for heating a space. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficiency, based on the plan.

Historically they were used for heating a home, cooking, and heating water for domestic and laundry uses. A fireplace might have the following: a foundation, a hearth, a firebox, a mantelpiece; a chimney (used in kitchen and laundry fireplaces), a grate, a lintel, a lintel bar, home overmantel, a damper, a smoke room, a throat, a flue, and a chimney filter or afterburner.

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On the exterior there is frequently a corbeled brick crown, where the projecting courses of brick act as a drip course to keep rainwater from running down the outside walls. A hood, cap, or shroud functions to keep rainwater out of the exterior of the chimney; rain in the chimney is a much larger problem in chimneys lined with impervious flue tiles or metallic liners than with the standard masonry chimney, which divides up all but the rain. A few chimneys have a spark arrestor integrated into the crown or cap.

Organizations such as the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Washington Department of Ecology warn that, according to different studies, fireplaces can pose a substantial health risk. The EPA writes"Smoke may smell great, but it's not good for you.

Kinds of fireplacesManufactured fireplaces are made out of sheet metal or glass fire boxes.Electric fireplaces can be built-in replacements for either wood or gas or retrofit with log inserts or electric fireboxes.A couple of kinds are, wall mounted electric fireplaces, electric fireplace stoves, electrical mantel fireplaces and fixed or free standing electric fireplaces.

Ventless Fireplaces (duct free/room-venting fireplaces) are fueled by either gel, liquid propane, bottled gas or natural gas. In the United States, several states and local businesses have laws limiting these types of fireplaces. There are also air quality control problems due to the quantity of moisture they release in the room air, and oxygen sensor and carbon monoxide sensors are safety essentials. Direct vent fireplaces are fueled by either liquid propane or natural gas. They are completely sealed from the area that is heated, and port all exhaust gasses to the outside of the structure.

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AccessoriesFor the inside, common in recent Western cultures include grates, fireguards, log boxes, andirons, pellet baskets, and fire dogs, all which cradle gas and quicken burning. A grate (or fire grate) is a framework, usually of iron bars, to retain fuel for a fire. Heavy metal firebacks are occasionally used to catch and re-radiate heat, to protect the back of the fireplace, and as decoration. Fenders are low metal frames set in front of the fireplace to contain embers, soot and ash. Other wider accessories may consist of log baskets, companion sets, coal buckets, cabinet accessories and much more.

Over time, the intent behind fireplaces has changed from one of necessity to one of interest. Early ones were more fire pits compared to modern fireplaces. They have been used for warmth on cold days and nights, in addition to for cooking. They also served as a gathering place inside the house. These fire pits were usually centered within a room, allowing more people to collect around it.

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Many defects were found in ancient fireplace designs. Along with the Industrial Revolution, came big scale housing developments, requiring a standardization of fireplaces. The most famous fireplace performers of the time were the Adam Brothers. They perfected a kind of fireplace design that has been used for generations. It had been smaller, more brightly lit, with a emphasis on the quality of the substances used in their construction, instead of their size.

By the 1800s newest fireplaces were made up of two parts, the surround and the add. The surround consisted of the mantlepiece and sides supports, typically in wood, granite or marble. The fit was fire burnt, and was built of cast iron often backed with ornamental tiles. As well as providing heat, the fireplaces of the Victorian era were believed to bring a cozy ambiance to homes.

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Some fireplace components incorporate a blower that transports more of the fireplace's heat to the air via convection, resulting in a more evenly heated space and a decrease heating load. Fireplace efficiency can also be enhanced with the use of a fireback, a piece of metal which sits behind the flame and reflects heat back into the room. Firebacks are traditionally produced from cast iron, but are also made from stainless steel. Efficiency is a complicated notion though with open hearth fireplaces. Most efficiency tests consider just the impact of heating of the atmosphere. An open fireplace is not, and never was, intended to heat the air. The best way to estimate the output signal of a fireplace is if you detect you're turning the thermostat up or down.

Most elderly fireplaces have a relatively low efficiency rating. Standard, modern, wood-burning masonry fireplaces though have an efficiency rating of 80% (legal minimum requirement such as in Salzburg/Austria). To boost efficiency, fireplaces can also be altered by inserting special heavy fireboxes developed to burn cleaner and can reach efficiencies as high as 80 percent in heating the air. These altered fireplaces are usually equipped with a massive fire window, enabling an efficient heating process in two phases. During the first stage the initial heat is provided through a large glass while the fire is burning. In this time the construction, constructed of refractory bricks, absorbs the warmth. This heat is then evenly radiated for many hours during the next stage. Masonry fireplaces without a glass fire window just offer heat radiated from the surface. Based on outside temperatures 1 to two daily firings are sufficient to guarantee a constant room temperature.fireplace pictures